Life Goes On
by AnimeXCats333
Summary: It isn't easy losing your two closest friends, along with your captain who was the man you called father. Sometimes, we lose sight of the road that once appeared so clear. But life does go on. Marco Oneshot, after war. Not related to my other stories. No shipping. Thanks for reading!


**I've wanted to do a oneshot for this scenario for a long time… And I decided to do it after re-watching episode 483 (Ace's death.)**

**I really feel sorry for Marco, losing Ace, Whitebeard and even Thatch. Those guys meant the most to him as far as we've seen…**

**So enjoy this piece of writing dedicated to him.**

**-A.X.C.333-**

In the dimly lit cabin, Marco sat on his chair. He slammed the bottle of beer in his hand down onto the desk loudly, some of the contents spilling over. Outside, the Whitebeard Pirates could do nothing but listen as their new captain cried harshly to himself, for he had locked himself in.

The blonde male hid his face, although there was only the empty cabin to see his tears. Beside his quietly trembling hand, there was a silver photo frame. In the picture it contained, one could see the widely smiling faces of himself, and two other men.

One with raven black hair, and a face that had been spotted with brown freckles. A tattoo on his left bicep clearly read "ASCE" with the 'S' crossed out. Next to him, another man had dark brown hair. He wore a sky blue shade of a T-shirt and pants. He had a short scar running underneath his left eye.

In the background of the picture, there was an older man sitting down on a chair, drinking heartily from a cup of alcohol.

Marco looked at the picture temporarily, but it only caused the aching pain inside him to grip harder on his heart.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, the memory of Thatch lying dead on the deck of the ship, then Ace being impaled by Akainu's lava fist. And finally, Whitebeard taking his final breath as he declared the One Piece to exist.

"You… idiots…" His voice was broken up by husky sobs, and salty tears that streamed into his mouth.

"Why…?"

As he slumped over on his death, he knocked the bottle of beer onto the floor, the glass shattering across the room.

But all he could think of was his own heart when he had witnessed his nakama's death. Everything he had done, they had been together. His closest friends, people who he wanted to grow old with and laugh about the old times.

And yet, life was a cruel thing. Sadistically cruel. It gave him friends who would forever be the ones he cared for deeply. And then it took those dear friends away before his eyes, leaving him with nothing, no one to cry on.

"_WHY?"_

He shook his head frantically, clearing the images of Ace's and Thatch's body. The pain of loss was draining reason out of him.

_Out of the trio, he was the only one left to carry on living. But what was the point of living if the only ones he cared about had died?_

Suddenly, he felt a strong steady hand on his shoulder. That hand was something he had missed so terribly since the end of the war that he thought had stolen.

"That's not true… Guararara… All the commanders and crewmates outside care for you too. You're their captain now, and they need you. Be strong."

Marco turned around, eyes wide open despite the heavy influence of alcohol on his mind, but only felt a gentle breeze rustle his hair from the open window. Somehow though, it carried a warm mellow feeling with it, the same he had felt when he laughed with everyone back when times… when times were still good.

Marco felt bittersweet tears springing to his eyes, and a small, but still visible, smile come upon his face.

For the first time in days, he pushed his cabin door open. Everyone else on board instantly stopped whatever they were preoccupied with. Even though he had previously been a mental wreck, someone drowned in the bottle, he was still their captain. And that was the only assurance they needed to follow him.

A couple of silent moments passed while Marco struggled to find the words to say to his crew that was listening intently to him. Waiting for him.

Then slowly from the crew, Haruta emerged, her feet shuffling slowly.

"Ne… Marco… What are we going to do now?"

Haruta was the youngest amongst them now, and when she was scared, she was almost like a child. A child who didn't know any better, and needed someone to hold her hand and lead her through the darkness.

And right then, Marco knew what to say.

"We go on. Even… Even if this crew has lost three wonderful men… One of which will always be our Oyaji, and the other two who are our brothers, we are still what's left behind! We… We must go on. Leave the darkness behind us. WE ARE THE WHITEBEARD PIRATES!"

**End.**

**Hope you liked it :)** **Please review and tell me what you think!**


End file.
